Evolutionary Trends do not mean that

Evolution Goal is Reached

Chapter 15.13
Haley Sousa
Main Idea

An evolutionary trend does not imply that evolution

progresses towards a particular goal. Evolution is the result
of interactions between organisms and the current
environment. If conditions change, an apparent trend may
cease or even reverse itself.
Best to look at this through an example...
This is an example of
evolutionary trends
with a horse
Ancestor vs. Common day Horses

4 toes on front 1 toe for each foot

feet (the hoof)
3 toes on hind Teeth adapted to
feet eat grass
The size of a Much larger
large dog
Teeth made for
shrubs and
trees
Evolutionary Trends with Horses
The common ancestor branched out into many different speciation
episodes
The present day horse is the only surviving twig of an evolutionary tree
with many divergent branches.
Since the species that reproduce the most drive the direction of the
evolutionary trends, the common horse was the one that reproduced the
most
The goal was not to keep the horse that we see today, it just happened to
be that way
Scientific Article-Energetics and the
evolution of human brain size

The human brain is about three times larger than that of our closest living
relative, the chimpanzee

Why is this?
The Human Brain
An Example

On Thanksgiving humans eat so much food that they get tired, so it takes
more energy for the food to process
Having a big brain results in more energy to be processed which can be
harmful

THEREFORE

The goal was NOT to have a big brain, it just so happened to be that was as a
reaction to the body or the environment.
Thank you! Any questions?
Sources

"Misconceptions about Natural Selection." Misconceptions about Natural Selection. Berkeley,

n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
Reece, Jane B. "Evolutionary Trends Do Not Mean That Evolution Goal Is Reached." Campbell
Biology: Concepts and Connections. 8th ed. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=5f642bcb-2a74-44a2-bc9d-c899
1b4c2eed%40sessionmgr107&hid=117